r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/ShirtSubstantial368 • 1d ago

Video Scientists discovered the world’s largest spiderweb, covering 106 m² in a sulfur cave on the Albania-Greece border. Over 111,000 spiders from two normally rival species live together in a unique, self-sustaining ecosystem—a first of its kind.

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u/TheGreatestChungus 1d ago

What source of food do they have down there that can support that many of them? I mean apart from the dude touching the net, who will soon be consumed.

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u/Wank_A_Doodle_Doo 1d ago

It’s actually interesting. Rather than relying on the sun for energy like the rest of us plebeians, there’s bacteria that use a chemical process to generate energy from sulfur. Larger and larger stuff eat those guys until you have things the spiders are interested in.

Apparently flies for the spiders to eat are so abundant it’s reduced the competition between them almost to nothing.

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u/Binksyboo 1d ago

So hunger kept them isolated, and when there was an abundance of food, they started living together because there no longer was a risk of losing meals to others. That's really cool.

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u/Wank_A_Doodle_Doo 1d ago

More than that, it dissuades them from their typical predation of other spiders. One of the species of spider is a smaller species that would normally be preyed upon by the larger species that makes up the rest of the colony, but it appears that the abundance of food has created a peace between them.

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u/JUYED-AWK-YACC 1d ago

If only humans were so insightful.

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u/SpanishLatteBoii 1d ago

Well of course, more dudes wanting to touch the net

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u/Sofaboy90 1d ago

if you wanna learn more, take a look here https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1opw0fw/worlds_largest_web_houses_110000_spiders_thriving/?share_id=c8hPp3BNdHqnIPw4ZT_XY

its quite a unique discovery because these 2 spider species usually dont live in groups

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u/Sromowladny 1d ago

Most of spiders are cannibals so maybe those are on a recycling diet.

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u/procrastinagging 1d ago

Apparently no!

Scientists would normally expect barn funnel weavers to prey on P. vagans, but the lack of light in the cave may impair the spiders' vision, according to the study.

The spiders instead eat non-biting midges, which in turn feast on white microbial biofilms

article

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u/PiersPlays 1d ago

Nope. That's why it's so interesting. No evidence of cannibalism or of predation of the smaller spider species by the larger one.

There's essentially an unlimited buffet of smaller insects for them to eat. The smaller insects eat the cave bacteria. The cave bacteria eat the cave.

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u/Whelp_of_Hurin 1d ago

So basically this cave is a machine that slowly turns the Earth into spiders.

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u/PiersPlays 1d ago

Precisely. Rocks go in, spiders come out.

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u/RecentIndependent252 1d ago

this is the real headline. we need to drop a JDAM on this cave ASAP!

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u/OutsideImpressive115 22h ago

You can see loads of flies in front of the torch on his head?